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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: plane · court · pitcher · capital · stock · wound · suit · coach

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wound — an injury
  3. court — of a king
  4. suit — clothes
  5. plane — a tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stock — shares
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. capital — money
  13. suit — to fit
  14. court — of law
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. capital — a city
  18. stock — goods
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. suit — in cards
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. court — for sport
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com